Water separator for marine exhaust system

ABSTRACT

A water separator for use in a marine exhaust system comprises a horizontally disposed, generally cylindrical housing including a wet exhaust inlet, a dry exhaust outlet, and a water outlet. Wet exhaust entering the wet exhaust inlet is constrained against the inner housing wall by a variable geometry vane or baffle which causes the wet exhaust to accelerate such that centrifugal force causes the entrained water to separate from the exhaust gas. Separated water encounters a longitudinally disposed barrier and flows to the water outlet for discharge from the vessel. A tubular dry exhaust pipe is longitudinally disposed within the housing and includes an inlet disposed in proximity to a first end thereof, and an outlet projecting from a second end thereof.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 62/058,265, filed on Oct. 1, 2014.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

N/A

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Officepatent file or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to marine exhaust systems foruse in connection with internal combustion marine engines, and moreparticularly to a water separator for separating exhaust cooling waterentrained by flowing marine exhaust.

2. Description of Related Art

Marine vessels are typically configured with a propulsion system poweredby an internal combustion engine mounted within the vessel hull. Exhaustgenerated by the engine is commonly combined with cooling water androuted through exhaust conduit to the stern of the vessel via one ormore exhaust ducts where the exhaust is discharged through one or moreexhaust ports formed in the transom. One or more mufflers are installedwithin the exhaust duct(s) to silence noise associated with the engineand exhaust gases.

A variety of marine exhaust structures are known in the background art.The present inventor has invented a number of novel marine exhaustcomponents that have greatly improved the silencing and efficiency ofmarine exhaust systems. Among those inventions developed by a namedinventor for the present invention are the following:

U.S. Pat. No. Entitled 4,918,917 Liquid Cooled Exhaust Flange 5,196,655Muffler for Marine Engines 5,228,876 Marine Exhaust System ComponentComprising a Heat Resistant Conduit 5,262,600 In-line Insertion Mufflerfor Marine Engines 5,444,196 In-line Insertion Muffler for MarineEngines 5,504,280 Muffler for Marine Engines 5,616,893 Reverse EntryMuffler With Surge Suppression Feature 5,625,173 Single Baffle LinearMuffler for Marine Engines 5,718,462 Muffler Tube Coupling WithReinforcing Inserts 5,740,670 Water Jacketed Exhaust Pipe for MarineExhaust Systems. 6,564,901 Muffler for Marine Engine 7,581,620 MarineMuffler with Angularly Disposed Internal Baffle 7,905,322 Marine Mufflerwith Angularly Disposed Internal Baffle 7,942,238 Marine Muffler withAngularly Disposed Internal Baffle 8,246,403 Marine Water Drop Muffler8,651,907 Water Jacketed Marine Exhaust Components Having MultipleStream Spray Ring Configurations 8,992,275 Marine Water Drop Muffler

In U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,246,403 and 8,992,275, the present inventordiscloses water drop mufflers, comprising in combination a mufflerdevice and water separator, for use in a marine exhaust system tosilence exhaust noise while separating entrained water from exhaust gasusing hydro-dynamic centrifugal separation principles enhanced byturbulent flow. Once separated from the flowing exhaust gas, the wateris discharged from the vessel.

There remains a need in the art, however, for advancements directed tothe separation of water entrained within marine exhaust. Moreparticularly, there exists a need for a dedicated water separator whichmay be used in conjunction with a variety of marine mufflers to maximizewater separation in various engine and exhaust muffler applications.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes limitations present in the art byproviding an improved water separator for use in downstream conjunctionwith a marine muffler in a variety of marine exhaust applications. Awater separator in accordance with the present invention comprises agenerally cylindrical housing including a wet exhaust inlet, a dryexhaust outlet, and a water outlet. When installed, the cylindricalhousing is disposed generally horizontally within the marine vessel. Thewet exhaust inlet is preferably disposed tangentially at or near thebottom of the housing so as to inject wet marine exhaust generallytangentially relative to the interior housing wall. Wet exhaust enteringthe wet exhaust inlet is constrained against the inner housing wall by avariable geometry vane or baffle which causes the wet exhaust toaccelerate such that centrifugal force causes the entrained water toseparate from the exhaust gas. Once separated, the water encounters alongitudinally disposed barrier or dam that stops the water. Oncestopped, the water is routed to the water outlet for discharge from thevessel, and the exhaust gas exits through a dry exhaust outlet fordischarge from the vessel. A tubular dry exhaust pipe is longitudinallydisposed relative to the housing with an inlet located within thehousing in proximity to a first end thereof, and an outlet projectingfrom a second end of the housing.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provideadvancements in the field of marine exhaust systems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dedicated waterseparator for use in separating entrained cooling water from flowingmarine exhaust.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a marineexhaust water separator wherein wet exhaust is accelerated within theseparator so as to separate entrained water from the wet exhaust usingcentrifugal force.

In accordance with these and other objects, which will become apparenthereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particularreference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional elevational view of a marine exhaustwater separator in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional end view thereof;

FIG. 3 is schematic bottom view of the water separator;

FIG. 4 illustrates the water separator installed in a marine exhaustsystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing figures, which form a part of this disclosure. It is to beunderstood that this invention is not limited to the specific devices,methods, conditions or parameters described and/or shown herein, andthat the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describingparticular embodiments by way of example only and is not intended to belimiting of the claimed invention. Any and all patents and otherpublications identified in this specification are incorporated byreference as though fully set forth herein.

Also, as used in the specification including the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural, and reference toa particular numerical value includes at least that particular value,unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressedherein as from “about” or “approximately” one particular value and/or to“about” or “approximately” another particular value. When such a rangeis expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular valueand/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values areexpressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it willbe understood that the particular value forms another embodiment.

Turning now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-4 illustrate an improved waterseparator, generally referenced as 10, for use with marine exhaustsystems. FIGS. 1-3 depict a water separator 10 in accordance with apreferred embodiment, and FIG. 4 provides a schematic illustration ofwater separator 10 installed in conjunction with a marine muffler 100.Water separator 10 includes a generally cylindrical housing 12 having awet exhaust inlet 14, a water outlet 16, and an exhaust outlet 18.Housing 12 comprises a substantially hollow vessel defining an internalvolume. Housing 12 is preferably fabricated from heat resistantfiberglass, however any suitable material is considered within the scopeof the present invention. When operatively installed, wet exhaust inlet14 is in fluid communication with the outlet of a marine muffler, whichis in turn in fluid communication with an engine exhaust duct, such that“wet” exhaust flows into housing 12 via inlet 14. The term “wet exhaust”shall broadly be construed to mean the combination of exhaust gas andentrained cooling water and/or water vapor flowing from an internalcombustion marine exhaust engine adapted with an exhaust cooling waterspray can as is known in the art.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, water separator 10 is installed downstream ofa marine muffler 100 with wet exhaust inlet 14 in fluid communicationwith the muffler outlet 102. Wet exhaust inlet 14 is preferablyconnected to housing 12 at or near the bottom thereof in a generallytangential or offset orientation as best illustrated in FIG. 3. Weexhaust inlet 14, however, may be disposed at any location on thehousing provided the wet exhaust is ultimately routed along thecylindrical inner housing surface as more fully discussed herein below.Wet exhaust entering housing 12, via wet exhaust inlet 14, isconstrained along the cylindrical inner surface of housing 12 by avariable geometry vane 20. As used herein the term “variable geometryvane” shall be broadly construed to mean a duct or deflection structurein spaced relation with the cylindrical inner surface of the housingthat flattens and widens the exhaust gas flow profile terminating in amanner so as to discharge the wet exhaust longitudinally dispersed alongthe curved interior wall of the housing. Accordingly, variable geometryvane 20 may include side walls in sealing engagement with the internalsurface of said housing, or may simply comprise a curved plate or bafflewithout sidewalls. Vane 20 is shaped so as to accelerate the wet exhaustflow and/or maintain exhaust velocity such that centrifugal force causesthe entrained water to coalesce along, or move to, the inner surface ofhousing 12. More particularly, variable geometry vane 20 cooperates witharcuate interior wall of housing 12 to spread longitudinally and thinthe wet exhaust flow profile along the interior housing wall. Vane 20preferably has a width which increases from wet inlet 14 untiltermination as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4. In addition the spacingbetween vane 20 and in the inner housing surface preferably decreasesfrom wet inlet until termination as seen in FIG. 3. The dimensions andpositioning of variable geometry vane are selected based on exhaust flowvolume (e.g. cubic feet per minute) so as to maintain exhaust flowvelocity at a suitable level whereby centrifugal-force forces entrainedcooling water radially outward where it collects and flows along theinterior housing wall. Vane 20 preferably terminates at a discharge end21 located proximal the internal top portion of housing 12. Thisconfiguration allows gravity to assist in maintaining flow velocity asthe exhaust and entrained water travels from the top of the housingdownward. By orienting cylindrical housing 12 in a horizontalconfiguration and discharging wet exhaust with a flattened flow profilealong substantially the entire length of the top inner surface, thepresent invention is believed to achieve improved water separationperformance as compared with prior art separators wherein the housing isvertically oriented.

Housing 12 further includes an elongate projecting barrier or dam 22which functions to stop and collect the flow of water flowing along theinterior surface of housing 12. More particularly, barrier 22 projectsgenerally vertically along the lower portion of the housing interiorsurface, and runs longitudinally along a significant portion of thelength of the housing as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. In a preferredembodiment, barrier 22 is generally C-shaped, as depicted in FIG. 3,with the concave portion of the C-shaped facing the oncoming flow ofwater traveling along the interior surface of housing 12. It should benoted, however, that any suitable projecting structure is consideredwithin the scope of the present invention. Water collected along thelength of barrier 22 is routed to water outlet 16 whereby the water isallowed to flow from, or drain from, the housing as illustrated in FIG.3 wherein the water is represented by “W”. Water outlet 16 is preferablyin fluid communication with a vessel thru-hull outlet whereby the watermay flow or be pumped from the vessel.

Exhaust exits housing 12 via an exhaust outlet pipe 18. FIGS. 1-3 depictan embodiment wherein an exhaust outlet pipe 18 which extends intohousing 12 and is longitudinally disposed above the housing floor toallow for exhaust to from the end of the housing. Outlet pipe 18includes an open end 18 a through which exhaust gas flows from thehousing interior into the outlet pipe for eventual discharge from thevessel. Outlet pipe 18 preferably extends into housing 12 such that theopen end is disposed beyond the termination of the wet exhaust inlet andvariable geometry vane 20 as illustrated in FIG. 1. In thisconfiguration the exhaust outlet pipe further functions as a cylindricalbaffle to encourage the circumferential flow of wet exhaust flowing fromthe terminus of variable geometry vane 20. Outlet pipe 18 may be axiallydisposed relative to the cylindrical housing structure, or may beaxially offset as illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates the water separator 10 disposed relative to a marinemuffler, referenced as 100. Marine muffler 100 is depicted for schematicillustration only, and is intended to represent any suitable marinemuffler. As seen in FIG. 4, wet exhaust enters muffler 100 via an inlet101, and exits the muffler via an outlet 102. The wet exhaust enterswater separator 10 via wet exhaust inlet 14 wherein the exhaust flowprofile is flattened and widened by variable geometry vane 20. Exhaustgas flowing from vane 20 flows along the interior wall of housing 12where centrifugal force causes water to coalesce along the housing wall.Barrier 22 provides a barricade that removes the energy from the flowingwater effectively blocking further flow. The water then exits housing 12by flowing from water outlet 16. Meanwhile, exhaust gas having asignificant amount of entrained water liberated therefrom exits housing12 through outlet pipe 18 by entering open end 18 a. Both the waterexiting outlet 16 and the exhaust gas exiting outlet pipe 18 are handledby suitable piping, ducts, or conduits for ultimate discharge from thevessel.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what isconsidered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It isrecognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within thescope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to aperson skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A water separator for use in a marine exhaustsystem, said water separator comprising: a horizontally disposedcylindrical housing having a defining an internal volume bounded bycylindrical inner surface and opposing ends; said housing including awet exhaust inlet disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis ofsaid housing to inject exhaust gas and entrained cooling water alongsaid cylindrical inner surface; said wet exhaust inlet in fluidcommunication with a variable geometry vane terminating within saidinternal volume in proximity to a top portion thereof, whereby said wetexhaust is dispersed along said cylindrical inner surface; a waterbarrier extending longitudinally within said internal volume andprojecting from said cylindrical inner surface; a water outlet disposedat the bottom of said housing in proximity to said water barrier; and anexhaust outlet pipe longitudinally disposed within said internal volume,said exhaust pipe having an open exhaust inlet end disposed in proximityto a first end of said housing, and said exhaust outlet pipe projectingfrom an opposing second end of said housing.
 2. The water separatoraccording to claim 1, wherein said variable geometry vane terminates inproximity to the top portion of said internal volume.
 3. The waterseparator according to claim 1, wherein said water barrier is disposedproximity to a bottom portion of said housing.
 4. The water separatoraccording to claim 3, wherein said water barrier defines a concavesurface.